


Stages of Despair (Disease)

by antagonisticgay



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Despair Disease (Dangan Ronpa), Gen, Hinata Hajime Has Despair Disease, Hinata Hajime and Kamukura Izuru Are Merged, Hospitals, I once again accidentally make the romance so subtle that it could be perceived as platonic, M/M, Memory Loss, Neo World Program (Dangan Ronpa), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Roleswap, Trans Hinata Hajime, Truth Serum, Truth Spells, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Whump, it's not my fault their mental states are so distracting and incompatible for quick burn romance, memory recovery, or something like that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29596863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antagonisticgay/pseuds/antagonisticgay
Summary: A list of things you should never do to Hajime Hinata (and by proxy, Izuru Kamukura):-Physically restrain him-Transport him forcefully-Bring him into a hospital against his willIt was by a cruel twist of fate, or perhaps some bastard bear, that all of the above had occurred.---A role swap AU where Hinata gets Despair Disease instead of Komaeda.Spoilers relating to SDR2 and DR3 (Hope & Despair Arcs)
Relationships: Hajime Hinata & Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Sonia Nevermind, Hinata Hajime & Kamukura Izuru, Hinata Hajime & Komaeda Nagito, Hinata Hajime & Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Ensemble, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Nagito Komaeda & Mikan Tsumiki
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999564
Comments: 30
Kudos: 179
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Trans Centric SDR2 Fics





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just establishing things weesnaw. This will eventually be a prompt fill for manhandling but that doesn't actually happen until the next chapter so I won't tag it until then.

When the grating voice of Monokuma worms its way into his ears, Hajime already has a headache. Maybe it's the aftershocks of Mioda’s performance last night or the emotional hangover of seeing Nidai get nearly vaporized, but for whatever reason, he feels like shit. With aching muscles and the hint of a festering headache, he pulled himself together to head out the door.

He barely slept a wink last night, and anxiety raked through him. He needed company. Anyone, just to no longer be alone.

* * *

Things aren’t much better when he gets to the restaurant, but really he should have seen that coming. His classmates always seem to be in some sort of discord, but this morning it was to a degree that even Komaeda looks tranquil in comparison. A part of him knows he should probably figure out what the hell Owari was making a fuss over, but an uneasiness in his stomach makes him reluctant to eat, let alone deal with that mess. Oddly enough it looks like Saionji was the only one left to deal with it, patting Owari gently on the back as she sobs.

As he sits down, he notices Komaeda looking at the commotion. As he follows the other’s gaze, Hajime wonders if he should step in before Komaede intervenes and makes it worse. He once again decides that is going to be someone else's problem as he closes his eyes and slouches in his uncomfortable wooden seat, intertwining his hands over his stomach. He must have inadvertently groaned as he thought about how much he would rather be in bed because he seems to have drawn Komaeda’s attention.

“Goodmorning Hinata-kun, sorry I was too distracted to greet you before. Not that you would care about a greeting from someone like me-”

He grunts in acknowledgment, not really feeling up to diffusing Komaeda’s self-destructive ramblings. “Your voice is pretty when you’re not being an asshole,” his mouth mumbles without his brain’s permission.

“Oh!” Komaeda blushes. “Thank you,” he says with an honest to god squeak. He gives Hajime a once-over with an analytical gaze that might unnerve him on another day if he weren’t so unguarded. 

“Are you feeling okay Hinata-kun? You seem to be feeling a little under the weather,” he frowns.

“No, but I’ll live,” Hajime groans lightly. “I haven’t had a single testosterone shot since who knows when with our memories all fucked up so I’m like 90% sure I’m PMS-ing.” And okay  _ wow  _ he definitely did not mean to spill that much but apparently, his brain is on vacation this morning.

For what it was worth, Komaeda took his slip up in stride. “Hmm… I believe peppermint tea is supposed to help with improving mood and decreasing pain. I could make you some if you’d like,” he offers kindly.

Hajime narrows his eyes at this. “Did you already know?” At this point, he has given up on acknowledging how easy his thoughts kept bubbling to the surface.

“I am in no position to make such assumptions,” he dismisses. 

‘ _ What the hell does that mean?’  _ he wonders. But it’s of no use, Komaeda is already excusing himself to the kitchen. 

As one door closed, another opened. Mioda barrels through the door with a flustered Tsumiki behind her. Hajime once again closes his eyes and brings his hands to his temples as Mioda begins yelling… something. Her voice is almost robotic as if she were a drill sergeant. It’s so loud that he startles slightly as Komaeda sets down a teacup in front of him.

“The packet said to give it about five minutes,” he says softly. “Do you need any sugar or honey?” Hajime sits up to accept the cup, but before he can answer he’s interrupted.

“Holy shit, she’s burning up!” Saionji yells.

Maybe it’s a blessing that her exclamation interrupted the disgustingly domestic fantasy that was about to unravel in Hajime’s head. Komaeda’s soft voice saying “sugar” and “honey” is a sound he wasn’t soon to forget. He reluctantly looks back toward the noise and sees Saionji holding a hand to Owari’s forehead while Tsumiki tries to reign in Mioda.

“That’s what I thought, they both have extremely high fevers,” Tsumiki explains.

“Wait.. so could that be what’s causing their wacky behavior?”

Before the Ultimate Nurse can elaborate, Monokuma suddenly makes an appearance.

“Emergency! Emergency! My my.. this can’t be good!”

Hajime stiffens as he tightens his grip on the cup. “For him to appear now… does this mean?”

“Whoa there just a minute! Can you wait for an explanation? The others are on their way, too!”

Soon enough everyone bumbled into the restaurant, voicing their concerns and questions.

“Now, now, then,” Monokuma waved his arms in a ‘settle down’ gesture. “Everyone’s here so I’ll start with the explanation.”

“Wait! H-hold on!” Monomi stutters.

“Now where the hell did she come from?!”

The two dissolve into squabbles as everyone watches with a hint of incredulity. It soon escalated into an oddly powerful punch that made Monomi yield, wailing something about “mysterious life energy.”

“Well then, back to the topic at hand,” Monokuma says. “But it seems you’ve already figured it out, well done,” he chuckles.

“So this fever is actually..” Hajime starts.

“That’s right! This is-”

“...the new motive!”

“Well now that was rude,” he huffs. “But I’ll let it slide this time. As you’ve figured it out, three of your classmates have been infected with a disease! Phuhuhu! But not any normal disease of course- where would be the fun in that? It’s the  **Despair Disease** !”

“Wh- Despair Disease?!”

A sudden jab of pain has him filtering out the rest of Monokuma’s explanation as his thoughts become overtaken by white noise. Something about bugs and annoyances, which really just describes Monokuma himself.

“For instance, Owari is afflicted by the  **Coward Disease** … And Mioda has the…  **Gullible Disease** , I guess?”

Kuzuryu grits his teeth. “Of course they  _ had  _ to get symptoms the opposite of their normal personalities…”

“It’s not like you’re all sick yet! But be careful- sometimes Despair Disease can be passed from person to person, just like a cold.”

“You mean it’s contagious?!” Nevermind exclaims.

“Wait hold on a second,” Kuzuryu says. “You said there are  _ three  _ people that are already infected.”

Monokuma giggles. “Oh? Did I? Well you better find them quick before it spreads!”

“Let’s run Sonia-san! It’d be terrible if you caught the lowly disease of the common folk!”

“W-wait but we don’t know who the third infected is!” Saionji latches onto the next closest girl with an iron grip.

“That’s right. We need to find the third person before things get out of hand,” Nanami says, completely unphased by Saionji’s sudden death grip on her sleeve.

“Calm down, how the hell do you all have so much energy all the time anyway? This is such a weird motive…” Komaeda looks at him uneasily as Hajime speaks. Suddenly everyone was looking at him as he shrinks back down in his seat.

“You didn’t have to say it like that,” Soda splutters.

“Hinata-kun… are you feeling okay?” Nanami asks, making her way towards his table.

“Wh- no- I’m a little bit achy but I’m probably fine.”

She looks down at his tea with a small frown. “Hinata-kun I’m going to feel your forehead if that’s alright.”

“No, it’s alright, I’m fine!” he assures; but it seemed like she wasn’t asking for permission as she gently places the back of her hand against his head. 

“Oh… Your hands are really cold.. That feels nice..”

Nanami purses her lips. “He’s burning up,” she confirms. “He’s definitely got a fever.”

“Well well well, that was awfully fast! For your speedy deduction I’ll go ahead and explain this one too before I leave,” Monokuma says with a giggle. “Hajime Hinata, our local tsundere, has  **Unfiltered Disease** !”

Hajime quickly sat up, pushing Nanami’s head away from his head, “...I’m sorry what?”

Monokuma waves a paw in dismissal. “I know I know, Deredere Disease would have been more thematically appropriate, but for all I tease, you’re not that much of a tsundere. Plus, that would bring up too many consent issues, and we can’t have that.”

“What. Are you getting at,” he grits out. 

“Wellllll basically I’ve done away with all your prickly caging and made you unable to filter your thoughts! Or well you have a bit of control now, but it’ll only worsen as the sickness develops.”

“Are you implying that  _ doesn’t  _ also raise major consent issues?!”

“Is there any way to treat it?” Nanami interjects.

“Treat it? Now why would you need to do that? I mean, this Despair Disease isn’t supposed to make you suffer. If anything it’s a cure for your soft hearts! Your soft hearts toward killing! And with this you can finally take the plunge and commit murderrrr!”

“You bastard! Enough with the bullshit, just tell us how to get rid of it!” Kuzuryu commands.

“It’s all my fault… for being weak,” Owari sobs. “I’m sorry for always bothering you..”

“Well I think that’s all,” Monokuma says, checking a nonexistent watch on his wrist. “I’ll be back when someone finds the cure!” With that, he disappears through the floorboards with no further explanation.

“The cure…” Komaeda mutters. “Do you think he means when someone murders?”

Hajime curls his lip in distaste. “And to think I was actually having an okay day before he showed up.”

“T-this is bad!” Tsumiki whimpers. “Mioda-san is a flight risk, and Hinata-san’s privacy could be breached at any moment!"

“The Healer speaks the truth! We must act quickly to contain those who have been cursed, and shield our ears lest we hear the wails of the seal unbroken!” Tanaka declares.

There’s a brief silence as everyone deciphers his unusual speech patterns before Tsumiki suddenly jolts. “Right! Let’s hurry over to the hospital!” 

Hajime falls quiet as a sudden uneasiness seeps through his bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [words: 1655]  
> \--  
>   
> [img description: John Mulaney holding a microphone captioned saying "I will pepper in the fact I am gay" with ", and trans, and ND" edited onto the end]  
> I'm not entirely satisfied w how this came out but I really want to move onto the next chapter lol. I'm feeling a little impatient on revising and waiting to get to the actual plot because I can't draw or sew until my hand heals which is what I usually do while I'm waiting to be in an editing mood.
> 
> See you for the next chapter, "Denial".


	2. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He gripped the bench. 'Is this really necessary? I’m not sick, I can walk fine, okay? You don’t need to treat me like a child.'  
> 'I know you can walk Hinata-san, but you and I both know you’re not going to the hospital of your own free will.'  
> 'I’m not going to the hospital, period.'  
> \---
> 
> Nevermind entered the hospital with Hinata in a bridal carry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Manhandling chapter time! Also big thank you to everyone who’s left comments!! I haven’t replied to all of them because sometimes my brain doesn’t provide verbal reactions (I’m more of a nod/noise kinda person) but know that I read them and appreciate them very much!!
> 
> I was able to get this chapter up so quickly because it was already 75% done when I posted the prologue, so expect a little bit more of a wait for the 3rd update. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> [CWs for this chapter: nonconsensual hospitalization, hearing voices]

Tsumiki and Owari were the first to go, with Komaeda gently directing Mioda close behind them. That left Hajime at the mercy of Nanami, Kuzuryu, Tanaka, and Nevermind. Soda and Saionji had already made plans to camp out in the motel, while Kuzuryu would join Tsumiki and the others in the hospital later. 

If they could get them there, that is. Kuzuryu is still recovering from his wound and Nanami isn’t the most physically adept. Tanaka seemed more or less disinterested, so Nevermind was left to lead the charge.

Said classmate is currently giving him the same pitied gaze one might give a wild animal with its head stuck in a tin can. (If that person is not Saionji, in which case she would probably laugh).

“I’m not staying in the hospital.”

“Please, Hinata-san?” 

“No, stop using your ‘Princess Voice’ it makes me feel like a knight about to be sent to his death,” he huffs. “And stop treating me like a feral cat!”

Kuzuryu acts as her back up, drifting slightly off to the side with his arms crossed. “C’mon man, if you stay there, you’re less likely to spill your secrets and your guts.”

“Poor choice of words coming from you.” 

Hinata’s face promptly crumples with a hiss, before letting his head fall to the table with a defeated _thud_. He immediately feels pain radiate from the point of impact. “I’m not even that sick, it’s fine…”

“Hinata-san,” he wants to hate that placating voice, but Nevermind is the Ultimate Princess for a reason. “You’re sweating.”

“So? We’re on a tropical island.”

“You have goosebumps. At the same time.”

He mumbles something incomprehensible against the table, wishing his body would melt into the wood until they lost him in the endless swirls of grain. 

The yakuza steps forward with a sigh. “Listen it doesn’t fucking matter whether or not you _think_ you’re sick. The bear said you are, so you need to camp out in the hospital for a bit. It’s not even that bad, it feels just like a minimalist hotel or some shit.”

“I’m not going,” he grumbles out, stubbornly fixating on the wood. As if it could give him a way out of here; off the island for good.

“Hinata-san, please don’t make me carry you.”

_Fuck. He forgot she’s pretty strong too._ Hajime lifts his face just enough to be visible. “Can’t I just stay in my room…?”

Nevermind’s eyebrows slant but her firm stance doesn’t waver. “We need to keep the three of you in one place so Tsumiki-san can take care of you.”

His eyes began to water without his permission. He squeezes them shut and looks away as he brings his arm up in front of his body. “I’m not going. You don’t need to worry about me. I'll just stay in my cabin until things are resolved.” He stumbles a bit as he stands, trying to get away from the table.

Kuzuryu’s eye rises from the floor to meet Nevermind and he nods. With the force of a bull, she pushes past the chair between them and throws Hajime over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His vision spins as he instinctually clings to the green fabric of her dress.

“Ow! What the fuck!”

“I’m sorry Hinata-san it’s for your own safety!” Kuzuryu leads the way, holding open the door for Nevermind while she keeps a solid grip on his legs.

“Safety?!” he laughs. “There’s no such thing as safety in this shithole now let me down!” he weakly thrashes against her hold and tries to pound his hands against her back.

* * *

They continued over the bridge and to the central island. Hajime tried to ground himself with the sway of the palm trees and the rhythmic thump of Nevermind’s steps, but their fluid motions only seemed to mock the aches of his head and back.

“ _...stupid fucking peaceful tree haha yeah we get it island paradise…”_

“Is your internal dialogue always this pissy?” Kuzuryu asks offhandedly.

“Like you’re one to talk. At least I _have_ a filter.”

He didn’t _mean_ to snap, but with his common sense out of reach, it’s easy to jolt at the uneasiness already nipping at his nerves. At the very least Kuzuryu seems to understand that, brushing off the comment with only a slight strain to his voice. He follows Hajime’s gaze to the horizon, not once sparing him a glance.

“I’m going to ignore that because I know you can’t help it.” 

“Yeah yeah real scary short stack.”

That finally gets Kuzuryu to look his way, but just as he begins to squint he takes a deep breath and stops walking; looking up at the sky as if it would give him an answer. Or maybe some wings to get him out of this situation.

“I’ll go on ahead and give Tsumiki a heads up-”

“Really? You’re even slower than Nevermind right now.”

“... Maybe the walk will calm him down, fuck if I know. See you at the hospital.”

“Be careful Kuzuryu-san!”

He nods in response, already walking toward the third island's bridge, shaking excess energy from his hands as he crosses. As they watch him go, Nevermind stops walking to let him gain some distance between them. Hajime has given up clawing at her back and now without a conversation partner hangs limply in defeat. 

“Are you doing okay Hinata-san?”

“I can feel all the blood rushing to my head and your shoulder blade is digging into my chest.” 

The princess hums in a sympathetic tone as she scans the path, before darting off a bit too fast for his pounding head. Before he can even process the sand turning to gray pavers beneath her feet, she’s dumping him on a park bench and sitting beside him, showing no signs of exertion.

“Aren’t you afraid I’m going to run or something?”

She smiles weakly. “I’m confident I could catch you if you tried, Hinata-san.”

Hajime huffs and avoids her eyes. 

“We still have a bit to go. Do you want to get on my back or should I carry you in my arms this time?”

He grips the bench with white knuckles. “Is this really necessary? I’m not sick, I can walk fine, okay? You don’t need to treat me like a child.”

“I know you can walk Hinata-san, but you and I both know you’re not going to the hospital of your own free will.”

“I’m not going to the hospital, period.”

* * *

Nevermind enters the hospital with Hinata in a bridal carry. There’s a grass stain on his shirt and his hair looks significantly more ruffled than usual. The princess is as put together as always, not a single hair out of place as she brings him into the corridor.

“What room is he in?”

Kuzuryu bites his cheek and opens the door to the second patient room. Nevermind thanks him with a nod and goes to set Hinata down on the bed, while Nagito comes down the stairs from where he lingered, just in time to see their backs retreat.

“Looks like we have two flight risks,” Kuzuryu clicks his tongue as he hangs Hinata’s identifying portrait on the door.

Nagito raises his eyebrows. “Hinata-kun was putting up a struggle then?”

Kuzuryu tenses briefly, having been oblivious to Nagito’s silent footsteps, before quickly relaxing. “Where’d you think all the grass stains were from? He looks like an angry hedgehog or something… It’d be fuckin hilarious if it weren’t for,” Kuzuryu gestures vaguely around the hospital. “Well, y’know.”

Nagito smiles as he nods. “I thought maybe he took a tumble… it’s good to hear he’s still full of energy! Ahahaha… looks like Nevermind-san’s resolve was stronger this time though.” 

Kuzuryu looks between the closed door and Nagito, leaning in slightly with his voice lowered. “Look, I don’t know what the hell’s going on with Hinata right now, but you better not pull any bullshit while he’s vulnerable. Or else I _will_ give this hospital another patient.”

Nagito’s face pinches as he turns to look at Kuzuryu. “Of course I’d never hurt an Ultimate! As if a gnat like me could even begin to _try-_ ” 

Kuzuryu holds up his hand to cut him off. “Just don’t fucking forget part of the reason you’re here is so we can keep an eye on you.”

“You seem a little paranoid Kuzuryu-kun.” Kuzuryu’s shoulders rose to his ears. “Are you feeling feverish too? Have you check-”

Luckily before Nagito could invite the loss of a hand, Nevermind returns to the hall, interrupting with the click of her heels against the tile floors.

“Alright, I got him in bed. He was stubborn, but I think the fatigue is catching up to him.”

“Still fighting?”

Nevermind waves her hand before going to readjust her ponytail. “No no, he hasn’t been struggling since I caught him in the park. Just acting like dead weight and being generally uncooperative.”

Kuzuryu sighs before going to open the door for Nagito. “Alright, you’re up.” He jerks his head inside the room. “Thank you for the help, Nevermind.”

She smiles and swings her arms in a quick stretch. “Of course! Let me know if you need anything else. Get well soon everyone!”

With a pageant-like wave, she heads off to the motel.

* * *

Hajime isn’t sure where the feeling came from, but ever since Nevermind got him to the hospital he was overwhelmed by desperation. His pulse pounds beneath his skin and against the hospital bed in an erratic drum beat.

_Shut up shut up shut up shut up they’ll hear you please shut up shut up._

Just when Nevermind finally left, the door creaks open once more. This time it’s Komaeda, wearing his disgustingly serene smile and carrying hospital clothes in his arms.

“Pardon the intrusion, Hinata-kun!”

“What are you doing here? What do you want?” The door closes behind him with a gentle click. It echoes like the loading of a bullet.

_He knew. He knew he knew he knew he knew but he didn’t want to know._

“I have some clothes for you to change into. Sorry it’s me delivering them,” he sets them down neatly on the bed and drifts toward the corner of the cramped hospital room to pull out the privacy screen with a light huff. 

“Tsumiki-san’s still setting things up and I wanted to give you the chance to keep your secret from Fuyuhiko-kun if you don’t want him to know.”

“Get out.”

“Huh?” Komaeda stops his shuffling to look at Hajime. “I know this is unpleasant but please bear with me! I’ll just be here in case you fall over or something. You can change behind this partition.”

“I’m not- That’s not the problem.” His mouth feels dry as he feebly tries to cling to the bed. “I’m not wearing that. I’m not staying here.”

Komaeda frowns as he lets go of the screen, leaving it poking out near the foot of Hajime’s bed. He walks so quietly to Hajime’s bedside that he can hear the shift of his coat as he moves and the gentle metal creak of the springs as he sits at his side. Hajime stills as his frigid hand rests against his face, ever so lightly with a slight tremble.

“Hinata-kun’s fever doesn't feel exceptionally high…” he tuts.

“I’m not sick.”

Komaeda opens his mouth to properly refute, only to close it and shake his head. “What are we going to do with you.” Komaeda sighs and withdraws his hand making Hajime exhale shakily. He straightens out his jacket as he stands to finish moving the partition.

“I’m going to leave these with you and go speak with Tsumiki-san. Kuzuryu-kun is watching over the hallway in case you need anything.”

He smiles once more, looking down over him the same way he did on the first day of this trip. Hajime’s heart doesn’t flutter this time. His heart feels like a stone, pinning his weak body to the sheets. He looks away from Komaeda’s face, out toward the open window, but the ocean air is weak against the hospital’s miasma.

* * *

Komaeda, Tsumiki, and Kuzuryu gathered in the hospital lobby after determining Owari, Mioda, and Hinata weren’t moving anytime soon and receiving the communicator from Soda. Tsumiki leads the conversation with the type of confidence she can only have in a hospital.

“Owari-san has cried herself to sleep… We’ll have to keep a close watch on that to make sure she’s staying hydrated. Mioda-san is compliant; she just needs precise directions. There isn’t any stimulus in there that could set her off so she should be fine, but we should double-check how she responds to Monokuma’s announcements in case she mistakes them for a command.”

As her spiel teeters off, she jolts and grabs the ends of her hair. “Ah! I’m sorry I was rambling… How are things going with Hinata-san?”

Komaeda smiles and opens his mouth, but Kuzuryu beats him to the punch.

“Not good. Nevermind had to carry him here.”

“He’s that weak?!”

“No, that’s part of the problem. He’s fatigued, sure, but he _really_ doesn’t want to be here.”

Komaeda hums in agreement. “Hinata-kun isn’t giving up easily either. He kept saying he isn’t sick and he refused to change clothes…”

Tsumiki-san focuses intensely on the two men as they give their accounts, even while her fingers comb through the uneven ends of her hair worriedly. 

“I think… It's possible Hinata-san has some sort of mental factor unrelated to the Despair Disease influencing his behavior. Perhaps anxiety or a previous unpleasant hospital stay.”

“What do we do then? Should we just take him back to his cabin if it’s gonna set him off worse?”

Tsumiki tugs her hair a bit and shakes her head. “If this were a normal fever it would be safer to treat him elsewhere, but right now there are too many unknowns.”

“Hinata-kun’s awfully weak at the moment. His mind is stubborn nonetheless- I wonder if it would be a fair measure of his hope if someone were to confront him in this state…” Nagito rambles.

“You mean if we left him alone and sick in his cabin he’d be killed a lot easier, right?” Kuzuryu summarizes.

Tsumiki’s eyes dart to Nagito unsteadily and she clasps her hands in front of her chest. “Well.. yes. For now, we’ll just have to do our best to take care of his emotional state… I believe there are some files upstairs with everyone’s basic medical history. I can take a look over his for any anxiety disorders or major hospital visits.”

“Sounds good, Tsumiki-san!” Nagito praises.

Kuzuryu echoes the sentiment with a much less enthusiastic nod.

“Th-thank you Komaeda-san, Kuzuryu-san… I’ll start reading through the files tonight… for we should figure out how we’re going to provide food for them while we’re holed up here… and make sure everything is in order around here…”

Kuzuryu stands from his chair and turns it away from Nagito and Mikan, back to its original position facing the desk. “I’ll take care of the bear,” he grunts.

With a plan in place, the meeting dissolves and they return to their duties. 

* * *

The hospital is quiet as the sun sinks through crimson clouds, below the darkened sea. Occasionally he hears footsteps pass in front of his door and the whirs of the camera adjusting. Komaeda had popped in briefly to ask if he needed anything earlier, leaving quickly after relieving him of the incessant electrical buzz of the overhead light.

With only his desolate room and his own thoughts as company, Hajime lost track of how long he had been sitting there.

Abruptly, if by someone else’s command, his heartbeat evens out and is replaced by a voice that isn’t quite his own, egging on his fear in a deep and steady monotone.

**The nurse and her companions are occupied. This is your chance. Run.**

Hajime groans in annoyance as he clutches his head.

_I’m fine it’s okay they’re just trying to take care of me. They’re not trying to hurt me._

**But they brought you here, they’re hurting you. You need to leave. Before it gets worse. You can hide in Byakuya Togami’s cabin. The lock isn’t broken like yours and no one has any reason to be in there.**

_No, I’m not going to hide in some dead guy's cabin! Tsumiki will look me over, realize I’m fine, and then I can go back to my cabin or hide out in the motel with everyone else._

**They didn’t let go the first time. They won’t do it again. Not until someone’s dead.**

Hajime closes his eyes as he ponders this thought, his breathing slowing as he drifts closer to unconsciousness. He forces his heavy eyes open with a sigh.

_I already tried to run. It’s no use._

**Your mind is weakening. I can get you out. I’m here now. Let me take us to safety. You need to hand me the reins.**

_No. No… I won’t stay._

The voice keeps talking, saying things he can no longer decipher as they’re drowned out by his fatigue. He falls asleep sitting up, eyes locked on the mocking sway of higanbana in the pot across the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [words: 2871]  
> \--  
> Definitions:  
> Higanbana - also known as the red spider lily. This flower is heavily associated with death, and in Japan it’s considered inappropriate to give a living person a bouquet of these. There are a few higanbana that can be seen in a pot in the patients' rooms in SDR2- probably a result of Monokuma’s grim sense of humor.  
> Nemaki - nemaki are the same structurally kimonos and yukatas but made of only one layer of cotton. They’re used similarly as bathrobes, hospital robes, and loungewear. I think they’re technically a type of yukata(? When reading up abt Japanese patient hospital wear I saw them referred to as yukata) but nemaki are not worn outside the house. To summarize: it's the specific type of robe/hospital clothes seen in-game.  
> \--  
> This is un-beta-d so if there's any technical issues please let me know!! It's hard to catch them in your own writing. See you next time for "Anger" ^^


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